Free Tuition

           Getting a post-secondary education in Canada has never been more expensive than it is right now. This is forcing graduating students in British Columbia to carry around a hefty weight in the form of student debt.  

            British Columbia students should receive free tuition because more of today’s jobs are knowledge based. A better educated workforce would help fill many of the skill gaps that prevent the Canadian economy from growing stronger.

            The Government of Canada estimates that 70 percent of jobs in today’s market require some form of higher education. So, if you want a secure job, you are going to have to pay the price.

            According to Statistics Canada, post-secondary tuition fees have rose a total of 3.3% in the 2018/2019 academic school year. The average tuition has increased to $6,838, with the cost depending on what program a student is enrolled in, from $6,571 in the 2017/2018 school year. That equals to an average of $27,000 per degree – and that’s just tuition alone.

            By adding costs of school supplies, textbooks, transportation, and residence, Statistics Canada says the average Canadian university graduate finishes school with more than $26,000 in student debt.

            This also means that access to higher education from many lower-income Canadians, including those from Indigenous communities, are denied, or even if they do end up attending, are left with “mortgage sized” debts.

            Charlotte Kiddell, deputy chair of the Canadian Federation of Students, says, “Post-secondary education is essential to pursue a decent quality of life, it's absurd that people should be denied that opportunity based on costs - it is perpetuating a cycle of poverty to prevent the most marginalized in our communities from accessing education that should be a right."          

            Students in B.C. either aren’t attending post-secondary school because of the high cost of tuition or are graduating with mountains of debt from student loans which on average take 9 to 15 years to pay off. This makes educated workers unable to contribute to society financially, politically, and socially.

            According to the Canadian Federation of Students, “Student loan obligations reduce the ability of new graduates to start a family, work in public service careers, buy a house, car and other assets, build career-related volunteer experience, or take lower paying work in their desired field to get a ‘foot in the door’.”

            As of right now, Canadian students collectively owe over $28 billion worth student loans to all levels of government. But it doesn’t have to be this way, according to the CFS.

            “The federal government is using interest rates on student loans as a valuable source of revenue. This year, the government of Canada is projected to generate $862.6 million in revenue from the Canada Student Loans Program.”

            “If the amount of money the federal government spent on savings schemes and education-related tax credits each year had been simply shifted to the Canada Student Grants Program, student debt owed to the federal government could be greatly reduced,” or possibly free.